The New Jewish Leaders

by Wertheimer, Jack

• ISBN13: 9781611681833
• ISBN10: 1611681839
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-12-13
• Publisher: Brandeis Univ

Summary

By the end of the twentieth century, a new generation of leaders had begun to assume positions of influence within established organizations. They quickly launched a slew of new initiatives directed at their age peers. Born during the last quarter of the twentieth century, these leaders came of age in a very different America and a different Jewish world than earlier generations. Not surprisingly, their worldview and understanding of Jewish issues set them apart from their elders, as does their approach to organizing. Based upon extensive interviews and survey research, as well as an examination of the websites frequented by younger Jews and personal observation of their programs, The New Jewish Leaders presents a pioneering account of the renewal of American Jewish community. This book describes how younger Jews organize, relate to collective Jewish efforts, and think about current Jewish issues. It also offers a glimpse of how they re-envision American Jewish communal arrangements. What emerges is a riveting study of a generational transition with major implications for American Jewish life.

Author Biography

Jack Wertheimer is the Joseph and Martha Mendelson Professor of American Jewish History at the Jewish Theological Seminary. He is author or editor of more than a dozen books.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Contributors	p. xv
Mapping the Scene: How Younger Jewish Adults Engage with Jewish Community	p. 1
From Jewish People to Jewish Purpose: Establishment Leaders and Their Nonestablishment Successors	p. 45
Expressive, Progressive, and Protective: Three Impulses for Nonestablishment Organizing among Young Jews Today	p. 84
Young Jewish Leaders in Los Angeles: Strengthening the Jewish People in Conventional and Unconventional Ways	p. 112
Reimagining Jewishness: Younger American Jewish Leaders, Entrepreneurs, and Artists in Cultural Context	p. 159
The Reality of the Virtual: Looking for Jewish Leadership Online	p. 214
In Its Own Image: Independent Philanthropy and the Cultivation of Young Jewish Leadership	p. 261
Conclusion	p. 322
Acknowledgments	p. 331
Appendix: The Research Design	p. 333
Index	p. 335
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